1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of data processing systems and networks and more particularly to performing diagnostic routines on such systems and networks.
2. History of Related Art
Performing conventional diagnostics on data processing systems and networks of such systems requires the manual intervention of a systems manager, field service engineer, or the like. Typically, the systems manager identifies a problem associated with a particular element of the system, perhaps in response to some form of interrupt, warning message, or other alert generated by a system element. In other cases, the systems manager may simply suspect that a system has a problem. The systems manager then typically gathers information regarding the problematic element and downloads the latest version of diagnostics for the system or element in question. Once downloaded, the systems manager installs the software on the system, runs the diagnostic, analyzes the results, and determines how to fix the problem. The method of diagnosing a system requires a level of human interaction that is undesirably high. It would be beneficial to implement a method and system to automate the diagnostic function to the greatest extent possible.